Envoy Mitchell kicks off Mideast peace push

In Syria, Mitchell said peace between Israel and Syria was a 'near-term goal.' Syrian, Israeli, Egyptian, and Palestinian leaders are meeting with the special envoy, who will be joined by Defense Secretary Gates and other high-level US officials.

Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak (r.) shakes hands with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, before their meeting in Tel Aviv on Sunday. The United States launched a fresh drive, on this same day, to restart Middle East peace talks.

Jerusalem — The Obama administration embarked on a multipronged Middle East peace drive on Sunday, with four senior US officials coming here to push for progress on some of the region's thorniest issues.

The week is expected to focus in part on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – including a US goal of getting Israel to agree to at least a temporary freeze in settlement building. But it will also target other issues: the possibility of relaunching talks between Israel and Syria and discussions over Iran's nuclear program.

"If we are to succeed, we will need Arabs and Israelis alike to work with us to bring about comprehensive peace. We will welcome the full cooperation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic in this historic endeavor," Mitchell said.

During his trip from Damascus to Tel Aviv, Mitchell told reporters he has been urging Arab leaders "to take steps toward normalization as gestures of their own to demonstrate that everyone in the region shares the vision of comprehensive peace that we share."

Israel has suggested that Arab states make moves toward "normalization," a buzzword that has come to indicate trade and cultural relations that are short of full diplomatic ties, as a gesture that would help cushion the domestic impact of Israel declaring a settlement freeze.

The US has indicated it wants a total freeze on settlements, forgoing any allowances for expansion due to natural growth. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is asking that the US recognize various projects that are under way, arguing that they are almost impossible to halt.

Defense Secretary Gates will be meeting on Monday with various Israeli leaders to focus on the issue of Iran's nuclear program.

The Israeli press on Sunday was replete with conjecture about the core goals of Gates's trip. Some speculated that it was intended as a signal to the Iranians that the "window of opportunity" for dialogue with the US is closing, while others reported that Gates was coming to town to impress upon Israel that it should not pursue a plan to knock out Iran's nuclear facilities.